From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea ) novel Chapter 238

Others came to play games of chance, yet she came for a wholesale deal.

Anthea turned to The owner with a smooth smile, "Sir, could you do us a solid and deliver these to the base of the hill? We'll hang out there and wait for you."

The owner felt like he'd been hit by a truck.

But in business, integrity's king!

He'd given his word to Anthea. And he'd deliver, even if it meant taking a loss.

You live and learn.

Next time, he won't underestimate anyone. Especially not a pretty young thing like her.

"Sure thing." The owner nodded. "My boy will drop it off in a jiffy. You know the big pine tree down at the bottom? He'll meet you there. Oh, and here's my card, just ring this number if there's a snag."

Anthea took the card graciously, "Thanks you."

"No problem."

In the crowd, a man in a black trench coat stood out like a sore thumb. His gaze fixed on Anthea, piercing as if it could see right through her.

After a moment, he adjusted the wide brim of his hat, shielding his features.

He recalled his assistant's words from the day before.

"Ms. Yeager's files are encrypted. We can't access them without clearance."

Encrypted. Why would an average Jane's files be under lock and key?

Without access to Anthea's records, he had to rely on hearsay.

Was she ignorant, foolish, a deadbeat, barely literate... But none of these labels seemed to fit the woman before him.

By the time Anthea looked up again, he had vanished.

She arched an eyebrow in curiosity. Maybe it was just her imagination.

Soon after, Anthea turned to her friend, "Sarah, let's go."

"Sure thing," Sarah nodded, and they began their descent.

They say going up is easy, coming down is hard – and they weren't kidding.

The climb took an hour, but half an hour into their descent, they'd only covered a third of the distance.

Chatting as they walked, Sarah marveled, "Annie, you're a real ace at those games! Teach me your ways!"

Anthea chuckled, "Sure thing, but don't you have exams to hit the books for? You've got college on the horizon, remember?"